NEW ACCOUNTS, ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Nabendu Bhattacharyya leaves Milestone Brandcom

Nabendu Bhattacharyya steps down as CEO and Managing Director at Milestone Brandcom, the India-based OOH agency from the house of Dentsu International. Talking about his journey at Brandcom, Bhattacharyya said: “My almost seven-year-old journey with Dentsu in India has been nothing less than a celebration with a bagful of wonderful memories and some exceptional people that I met across the global network. Dentsu International is an incredible place to be in. It is packed with extraordinary talent and remarkable professionalism in every little pocket of the globe and I must forever reiterate that working with Ashish and Anand has been one of the most phenomenal experiences of my life, professionally and personally. I intend to explore and delve deep into the other expanded ranges of advertising and communication and see what I can freshly withstand.” Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, India, Dentsu, said: “Nabendu is a fantastic professional and a veteran in his field. His creative vision, coupled with his leadership skills, makes him an absolute powerhouse. He charges ahead with unrelenting clarity and determination, translating businesses into the unadulterated largeness that they eventually become.”

Lodestar UM is Ather Energy’s AOR

After a multi-agency and multi-phased pitch, Ather Energy, an Indian electric vehicle company, has named Lodestar UM, a leading strategic media agency, as its media AOR. Lodestar UM brings to the table diverse experience in steering brands, guided by its ‘Better Science, Better Art, and Better Outcomes’ philosophy. Speaking about the tie-up, Nilay Chandra, Director Marketing, Ather Energy, said: “Ather is in the middle of an aggressive growth phase and part of that is building brand salience across the country while also establishing EVs as better alternatives to traditional vehicles. Lodestar UM brings on board their years of experience in establishing and growing brands. Their data-driven approach to communication and marketing will be an asset to us and fit seamlessly with our attitude towards building Ather and the industry.” On winning the mandate, Laya Menon, EVP, Lodestar UM, said: “We are delighted at the opportunity of partnering Ather Energy which promises to herald in an exciting era in the personal mobility space.”

Amjad Ali departs from Mullen Lintas

Amjad Ali, the Founding Member and President of the agency’s Delhi office, departs from Mullen Lintas after a 25-year-long association. At Lintas, he worked for clients, such as  Maruti, Micromax, Vivo, Huawei, Oppo, Gionee, and LG. Speaking about Ali’s departure, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO & Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group, said: “Amjad, an utter and total believer in Lintas, unbelievably leaves us! We had memorable times together. Among Amjad’s extraordinary traits is an ability to project Lintas and especially its creative talent in the best, front-foot forward way. His reputation and ours as a consequence has always been impeccable and I dare say ‘upper class’ in the best, most professional way possible. He’s had a fantastic run with us and for me personally Amjad was always at the striker end taking the bouncers and tiring the bowlers out and letting me take the strike when ball was ready to be struck!” In his remarks,  Ali said: “It’s difficult to leave Lintas. It’s an institution, it has a terrific value system. After I finished my Mathematics from one university, I moved into Lintas as another one. It’s like my Alma Mater. So, it’s been a difficult decision all along. But I felt that if there was any correct time to leave, it was this. This is the time to take a new step, yet again, and reset. Hence this decision”.

DDB Group elevates Thomas Yang and Benson Toh to ECDs

Thomas Yang, who was Deputy Executive Creative Director at DDB Group, and Benson Toh, who led Tribal Worldwide Singapore as Creative Director, have been elevated as Executive Creative Directors at DDB Group. Commenting on Yang and Toh’s promotion, Neil Johnson, Creative Chairman at DDB, said: “Thomas and Benson are two incredibly talented leaders, respected and loved by clients and peers. They have done a stellar job of leading our incredibly dynamic teams of more than 100 creatives. We need talent, bandwidth, and depth in our teams and leaders to continue delivering agile, integrated, and breakthrough creative work.” In his remarks, Toh said: “This has been a tough year, but it has brought out the best in us. 2020 has taught us to be more agile, digital, and sophisticated in our range of creative work. Thomas and I enjoy a natural partnership and we look forward to taking our working relationship to the next level.” Listed as one of the top 10 highest-ranking creative directors at Cannes in 2011, Yang has won numerous D&AD, One Show, Spikes Asia, AdFest, and the Creative Circle awards. Similarly, Toh has won top honours at AdStars, Cannes, Canberra International Film Festival, D&AD, London International Awards, New York Festival, and Spikes Asia.